Author Archives: Laudan

Final capital budget includes Muzzall push for $30 million for district schools

One day remains in the 2023 legislative session and details are emerging on the final versions of various state budgets. State Sen. Ron Muzzall is touting significant investments for local projects in the 10th District in the state’s capital construction budget, particularly nearly $30 million for Oak Harbor schools.

Muzzall had earlier announced his work to include the needed funding to help construct new elementary schools in Oak Harbor. With the state’s strong investment finalized, matching federal dollars can now flow to the proposed school construction projects totaling over $100 million.

“Working with my colleagues across the aisle and in the state House, this needed investment for our children’s education is closer to becoming reality,” said Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor. “I’m absolutely thrilled that these resources will be available for our community and that the fifth generation of the Muzzall family will get a strong public education in these new facilities.”

The district is now eligible for an additional $55.9 million for early learning and $53.9 million for elementary schools in federal funds. The state will provide $13.9 million toward the Oak Harbor Early Learning Center, which houses early-learning programs for children ages 3-5 and other special education programs for the district’s youngest learners. Another $13.6 million is allocated to Crescent Harbor Elementary School. The La Conner School District will receive just over $1.5 million for its capital budget projects.

The state’s capital budget also includes funding for various environmental, conservation, recreational and other community-based projects.

Significant investments include:

$2.75 million for Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue Station 53 (Coupeville)
$1.9 million for Diking District 7 Fish Passage and Levee (Stanwood)
$1 million for Skagit County Voluntary Stewardship

A complete list of 10th District projects totaling nearly $60 million can be found by clicking here.

Joint, End of Session Virtual Town Hall

Friends,

The 2023 legislative session is coming to a close. I’ll be sending out an in-depth update on where we’ve landed with the budget and my perspective on pressing policy issues, but I wanted to invite you to get some information at our upcoming virtual town hall.

I’ll be holding a joint community meeting with my House counterparts, Rep. Paul and Shavers on Tuesday, May 2 at 6PM. Mount Vernon Mayor, Jill Boudreau, has graciously agreed to moderate the town hall.

Please click here to register. There’s an opportunity to submit your question in advance and we’ll be doing live question and answers as well. Register today and I look forward to seeing you!

Muzzall garners nearly $30 million for district schools

The state Senate unveiled its proposal for the 2023-25 Capital Budget today. Hailed by negotiators as a record investment for housing, state Sen. Ron Muzzall is proud to have secured nearly $30 million for school districts who’ve struggled to get local resources for capital projects. Oak Harbor School District, whose local bond was recently rejected, is set to receive the lion’s share of capital-related funds.

“Capital costs are significant burdens for our school districts and I’m proud to support these robust investments from the state,” Muzzall said. “Oak Harbor has tried unsuccessfully with their local bonds, and I think taxpayers feel fatigued with those assessments. This mechanism of funding is a way to meet those needs without further burdening property owners in the district.”

In the Senate’s version of the state’s construction budget, $13.9 million would go toward the Oak Harbor Early Learning Center, which houses early learning programs for children ages 3-5 and other special education programs for the district’s youngest learners. Another $13.6 million is allocated to Crescent Harbor Elementary. Muzzall also fought to include funding for La Conner School District, which would receive just over $1.5 million for their capital projects in the Senate’s proposal.

Muzzall points to the high level of funding as an opportunity for schools to receive further federal matching dollars to make capital improvements a reality. If the level of funding championed by Muzzall is maintained, the district could be eligible for an additional $55.9 million for early learning and $53.9 million for elementary schools.

“Thank you to Senator Muzzall for his continued efforts advocating on behalf of our students. Through your leadership, we have an opportunity to capture critical Department of Defense federal matching dollars to rebuild two aging schools on military installations that currently house more than 800 students (pre school – 12th grade) every day,” said Oak Harbor School District Superintendent Michelle Kuss-Cybula. “By approving Senate Bill 5324, you are investing in our children and the future of our community. Thank you for being a champion for all of our students.”

The final capital budget still needs to be negotiated with the House of Representatives and approved by both Chambers. The House is set to release their proposal next Monday, March 27. Muzzall is committed to working with his House counterparts to maintain the strong education spending during negotiations.

Muzzall maternity-support bills approved by Senate

House already taking action on lowering costs for maternal care

OLYMPIA… The state Senate has now approved the final piece of legislation sponsored by Sen. Ron Muzzall focused on improving maternal supports. Part of a package, Senate Bill 5581 was approved in late February and is awaiting a public hearing in the House of Representatives. Today, the body unanimously approved Senate Bill 5580, which would direct the state Health Care Authority to support extended post-delivery hospital care for women struggling with substance-use disorders.

Senate Bill 5581 would require the state insurance commissioner to work with health care providers toward strategies to lower if not eliminate deductibles for maternal-support services and postpartum care.

“Motherhood is a beautiful thing but sometimes the support they need isn’t there and the costs associated with childbirth make a challenging life event even more so,” Muzzall said. “For low-income women and women struggling with addiction who choose life, I want the state to be there with services, support and compassion.”

Under Muzzall’s proposal, the services for pregnant and postpartum women are expanded to those up to 210% of the federal poverty level. It also directs the state Health Care Authority to create a post-delivery program transitional program for women with substance use disorder at the time of delivery allowing for extended post-delivery hospital care.

Muzzall argues, “Giving birth is life changing, and if there is a chance these mothers can get clean, we should utilize the hospital care to treat them and help break that addiction for their new baby. We also need HCA to look at outcomes for these newborns and their moms.”

By January 2025, the HCA is directed update its Maternity Support Services program by collecting data, updating screening tools, and evaluations aimed at healthier birth outcomes.

Muzzall fentanyl test strip bill gets unanimous vote

Opioid overdose deaths have been skyrocketing in Washington State. King County saw over 1,000 overdose deaths last year and 70% of the victims had fentanyl in their system. While legislators recently approved a measure to deal with drug possession and treatment, legislation sponsored by Sen. Ron Muzzall to help reduce immediate harm received unanimous approval in the state Senate today.

Senate Bill 5022 would remove fentanyl testing strips from the list of illegal drug paraphernalia. Many jurisdictions around the state are already distributing these test strips but are doing so illegally.

“It no secret that communities around our state are being deeply affected by the opioid epidemic. While we have some work to do to get at the root causes, we can at least deal with the effects by providing life-saving interventions,” said Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor. “Like the state did with Narcan in 2020, we need to change this law so that this deadly fentanyl scourge will hopefully take fewer lives.”

In addition to delisting test strips, Muzzall’s bipartisan legislation would allow public health and community organizations to either sell or provide the test strips.

“People struggling with addiction know that they’re doing is harmful, but they likely are not intending to ingest a substance as deadly as fentanyl,” Muzzall lamented. “I don’t want people to be doing drugs in the first place, but I certainly don’t want them do die unwittingly. Removing test strips from the classification and engaging community partners will hopefully put a dent in the number of overdose deaths we are seeing.”

The House of Representatives will now take up Muzzall’s bill in the public hearing process. They must move it out of committee and vote to approve the proposal by April 12.

Help is on the way to clear derelict structures under Muzzall legislation

Who is responsible for cleaning up aquatic ruins like dilapidated piers or crumbling bulkheads? The state Department of Natural Resources is tasked with the job, but the process is still murky.

Senate Bill 5433, sponsored by state Sen. Ron Muzzall, is focused on shoring up the program to keep state-owned aquatic lands hazard free and environmentally sound.

The bipartisan proposal would establish a derelict structure removal program under the auspices of the DNR for qualifying projects. In addition, it would direct the agency to create a grant program for private lessees of state aquatic lands in need of financial assistance to keep nearshore habitats healthy.

“My district has so many miles of shoreline and the maritime industry keeps it thriving, but that doesn’t come without its challenges,” said Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor. “Our state’s waterways have been plagued by derelict vessels and I’m proud to have sponsored this legislation to address a different kind, but no less hazardous, obstacle in our waters.”

The program that would be created under the bill sponsored by Muzzall is like the existing one focused on removal of derelict ships, but would look at larger, often man-made structures that present different challenges for removal. The bill outlines criteria for classification as a derelict structure and options for the DNR to collaborate and appropriately respond.

“These structures can be a blight but also a hazard to navigation and pose significant environmental risks that can’t be overlooked,” Muzzall said. “We need this clarification in the law so that the DNR can work with local partners to protect this invaluable resource.”

Under the proposal, the Department of Natural resources has until July 2024 to establish eligibility criteria for the proposed grant program but must begin developing and prioritizing projects by January 2024. DNR would be directed to prioritize the removal and remediation of the most precarious structures at risk of collapsing, obstructing navigation or posing significant environmental risks.

The measure was passed unanimously Monday by the state Senate and now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate approves Muzzall’s bill to expand unemployment for district workers

Today, the state Senate approved legislation sponsored by state Senator Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, aimed at helping dislocated workers in the 10th District. The bipartisan measure, Senate Bill 5621, would redefine dislocated workers for the purposes of unemployment insurance for the specific purpose of helping now jobless residents when the state denied renewing a longstanding aquaculture lease in late 2022.

“Regulation is sometimes necessary. Sometimes its effects are downright cruel,” said Muzzall, the leading Republican on the Senate’s agriculture committee. “Our district has seen the unfortunate closure of an important industry because of regulatory actions by the state. The impacts on the families who work in that industry are real.”

The state has been targeting the net pen industry for closure for years, but the policy has not been without criticism, drawing legal challenges by the industry. Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz heralded an end to the practice of commercial net pen fish farming in Washington during a news conference in 2022, arguing that the practice interferes with the recovery of native fish populations.

“While there is disagreement over the value of certain types of fish farming in Washington waters, the people who work in these operations are our neighbors and deserve our help,” Muzzall added.

The legislation, which was approved unanimously, is a targeted approach aimed at helping the nearly 40 employees at Cooke Aquaculture facilities in Skagit Bay. It now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Muzzall says drug possession fix a ‘step toward a solution’

The state Senate worked late into the evening this past Friday, struggling over a bipartisan compromise to state drug possession laws. In 2021, the state Supreme Court handed down its Blake decision, which ruled Washington’s felony drug possession law was unconstitutional. Since the Legislature was still in session, it approved a stopgap measure during the 2021 session that was set to expire in July of this year.

Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, voted in favor of Senate Bill 5536, which was approved by a mixed vote after hours of contentious negotiations and floor debate. The proposal would create a schedule of drug possession offense levels and diversion programs, would define prosecutorial deferrals, would clarify sentencing requirements, and would allocate resources for implementation. Muzzall issued the following statement:

“We spent nearly six hours working on this Blake fix Friday night. It isn’t perfect, but I’m proud of the individuals who spent so much time over the past weeks working on a compromise that I feel good about voting for. This legislation gives a path for people struggling with addiction to get them into treatment and that is needed, but it also balances the need for consequences and accountability, which has been sorely lacking since 2021.

“While there was a great deal of discussion on the Senate floor that characterized the drug offenders as victims, there was really no mention of the people, businesses and communities that were being victimized. Some seemed content to gloss over the rise in theft, broken storefronts, vandalism and proliferation of encampments along our roadways. The people I represent deserve a solution to this problem that only seems to be getting worse. Hopefully, this legislation is a step toward a real solution.”

A Time for Voting

Greetings Friends,

We’re now past the halfway mark of the 2023 legislative session and things have been busy. There was a series of deadlines over last several weeks that have significantly cut down the number of legislative proposals that could eventually make it to the governor’s desk. Over the past few days, we’ve been working late into the evenings debating and voting on bills on the Senate floor.

While some like to focus on varying political divisions, the reality is that the work in the state Legislature, especially in the Senate, features civil discussions about policies that seek to make life better or Washingtonians. Don’t get me wrong, there are some proposals that have or will come before me that are challenging. However, the lion’s share of bills we are voting on are overwhelmingly bipartisan.

I’m pleased that several bills that I have sponsored have been approved by the state Senate this session. I have introduced proposals on issues ranging from fentanyl testing equipment to programs for Washington agricultural products, telemedicine and maternal health.

Focus on health care

This past week, the Senate approved SB 5581, which was part of a package of maternal care proposals I announced earlier in the session. This bill would require insurance companies to work with health-care providers to develop strategies to reduce deductibles for maternal support services and postpartum care. The other legislation, Senate Bill 5580, has been pulled from the Senate Rules Committee and will soon be voted on the Senate floor. This helps low-income mothers struggling with addiction receive better, longer care aimed at improving outcomes for them and their new babies. You can read more about these approaches to supporting mothers by clicking here.

It no secret that communities around our state are being deeply affected by the opioid epidemic. While the root causes are being debated and worked on, we can at least deal with the effects by providing life-saving interventions. I sponsored Senate Bill 5022, which would make fentanyl testing equipment legal. Many jurisdictions around the state are already distributing these test strips but doing so illegally. We heard in committee that there were over 1,000 overdose deaths in King County last year and 70% of the victims had fentanyl in their system. Like the state did with Narcan in 2020, we need to change this law.

Farmers Market Supporting agriculture

Our district is blessed with a bountiful agricultural industry, with many smaller farms and producers that offer unique products. Washington holds further distinction nationally by lacking ways to help these ag producers brand and promote their products. That is why I sponsored Senate Bill 5341, which cleared the state Senate recently. It would help consumers support local agriculture and make local producers more competitive across the country.

Regulation is sometimes necessary. Sometimes its effects are downright cruel. Our district has seen the unfortunate closure of an important industry as a result of regulatory actions by the state. While some could disagree about the benefits or harms of aquaculture, the impacts on the families who work in that industry are real. They’re our neighbors and deserve our help. I expect Senate Bill 5621 to be voted on the Senate soon, before next Wednesday’s deadline. It would expand unemployment benefits to these dislocated workers that resulted from the denial of a finfish net pen lease.